Way of the Sword 4th Edition
Introduction Welcome. In this book, you can learn everything you need to know about swordfighting. Whether you're new to swordfighting, a master, or somewhere in-between, I can almost guarantee you'll find something new. I, ernakou, have tried to keep this book shorter and to the point for your convenience. A common problem is when people severely pick and choose what they do and don't want. Obviously, you have the right to do so, but keep in mind that this information is''' meant to be together.' 'Dam up one part of the river, and it may stop flowing entirely.' Please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors I have made. Enough of this introduction. Keep an open mind, and enjoy this book. Chapter 1: Getting Started 1.1 Controls Use WASD to move your character. Use the # keys to select your tools. The key for your sword will generally be the 1 key. Make sure you can quickly press the 1 key, if not the other keys, without having to look away from your screen. Double click to attack with your sword. (This is called a lunge) 1.2 Turning on each mode Classic Make sure that you are somewhat scrolled out, then check if your cursor is a grey crosshair. If it is, then press shift. If it isn't, then you already have classic on (if you're scrolled out). Moonwalk Scroll in as far as you can. Mouselock If your cursor is not a grey crosshair, press shift. If this does not turn your cursor into a grey crosshair, do this: Menu ''(Esc) > Game Settings > Character & Camera Controls > MouseLockSwitch Use shift to toggle between Mouselock and Classic Hybrid Have shift available to turn mouselock on or off. Using hybrid simply means using both classic and mouselock in your strategy. Having seperate strategies in each mode does not count as hybrid unless they are somehow benefiting one another. 1.3 Choosing a mode There are 4 modes in which you can swordfight. They are all different from one another in various ways. It may not be easy to decide on which one you want to use. I will do my best to make this a short proccess. You should ask yourself now "Where will I be swordfighting? And who do I want to swordfight with?" This will help you decide on which mode to use. Classic by itself is the absolute worst mode. Using exclusively classic will only be briefly mentioned in this book(5.2). Classic's best use is meeting and fighting famous swordfighters. Many famous and proffesional swordfighters will only allow classic. Moonwalk is typically not a reasonable choice. Mouselock outclasses it in pretty much every way. Moonwalk's only positive unique aspect is the inability to see yourself. (Allowing you to use distracting/misleading clothing) Mouselock and Hybrid are, combatively speaking, the best modes. Neither is really better than the other. If you want to be a good swordfighter, or want to SF recreationally, then choose Mouselock or Hybrid. To put things simply, Hybrid is better for surprises and powerful swings Mouselock is better for focus and precision 1.4 Jabs and Sweeps A jab is a common term for a precise attack. This means that you are aiming your attack very specifically. Be aware, however, that moving forwards is not the only "jab". You can be moving sideways or backwards and still have it count as a jab. A sweep is a common term for a swing. This means that you rotate your character in order to have your lunging sword pass through multiple enemy body parts. The reason for swinging is to inflict a lot of damage, most of the time lethal. If you are unfamiliar with what these usually look like, just go play at a sword fighting game and watch what people do. 1.5 For practice -Train at Sword Fight on the Heights Original, or any sword game that has 16 walkspeed + 100 health per player + untampered classic sword only -Train against players who are better than you are. Beating weak players will not improve your skills. -Avoid ties, and don't settle for ties unless it's the ONLY way to avoid losing. (You are able to win more often than you'd think, but doing so may require more time) 1.6 Extra advice Being a touch typist can be beneficial when playing sword games such as Sword Fight on the Heights Original. It allows you to watch your screen as you type (so that you can prevent typekills), and it lets you communicate with other players faster (communication can be vital to team fights) Don't complain or rage at people. It creates more problems than it solves (Fun Fact: It doesn't solve any). Definition of Ego: Person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance Do not let your ego lead you into underestimating opponents. Any player could potentially be a great SFer waiting for you to attack. Be aware that your sword can be dropped when you die before you spawn. Some techniques will benefit from this. Be aware of what's going on Try not to be predictable Try to win (Don't settle for ties if you don't have to) Chapter 2: The Volley System 2.1 What is the Volley System? This is a system, or format, to describe the best way to swordfight without giving your opponent opportunities to hit you for free. You need to know this to be good at sword fighting. Period. Many people learn the Volley System instinctively rather than litterally. Learning this instinctively will take a much longer time, and you're more likely to forget it when you don't really know it. We will approach this first from the defensive point of view, which may be new to you, and then we will approach it from the offensive point of view, which more people will recognize. The Volley System is comprised of 3 rules, which form together to make taunts, which form together to make Volleys. Not obeying these 3 rules will cause people to get free hits off of you. Think of the rules as the bare essentials of sword fighting. 2.2 The Three Rules Rule 1 Do not enter the attack range unless giving/trading blows while entering. ---The attack range is the radius around each player where they COULD hit with a lunge. Rule 2 Do not expose openings within the attack range. ---An opening is any time during which you cannot attack. The most common opening is the sword reload. After every lunge, there is a reload time when you are vulnerable. This is why people back up after lunging. ---Other openings include tripping and arms going up. Rule 3 Do not go past the edge of the attack radius using your own movement. ---This one's more complicated to explain. While you are moving forwards, you cannot swing effectively. ---As you move towards your opponent, your opponent can swing at you for the win(or at least gain the upper-hand). Exceptions There are instances when you should break rules, but only when it is safe to do so. In order to break a rule yourself, your opponent must be breaking a rule that gives you the opportunity to break a rule. For example, opponent breaks the 1st rule and is sending an attack in the wrong direction, now you can break the 3rd rule and get close enough to win. There are also a couple techniques that allow you to bypass certain rules. 2.3 Applying the 3 rules to offense Outangling (Rule 1) This is a popular term to describe how SFers try to use positioning and direction to get free hits off of the enemy(in other words, get them to break the 1st rule). ---The point is to hit the enemy from an angle that they are unprepared to fight against. ---Outangling always involves turning, and generally involves dodging attacks while attacking. Timing (Rule 2) This is a popular term to describe how SFers will try to get their opponents to attack too soon and too close, leaving an opening inside the attack range(in other words, get them to break the 2nd rule). ---Timing usually involves players attacking one after the other, i.e taking turns attacking) Sweeping (Rule 3) This is a popular term to describe how SFers will try to swing at their opponent as the opponent moves into the swinging range(in other words, get them to break the 3rd rule). I made this section short on purpose, but understand that these are VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT. 2.4 Taunts and Volleys When players follow the 3 rules, taunts are inevitable. Taunts are attacks that were not neccisarily intended to hit. In a way, these attacks "dare" the other player to come closer. As soon as the lunge ends, the other player is free to move forwards a bit and make their own attack. Now, of course, you wouldn't just stand in place during your opening, so you move back. All of this leads to the Volley. Players should move back before their lunge expires. Timing Volleys involve players attacking one after another, trying to defeat the other player through timing. Outangling Volleys involve players attacking at the same time, trying to, well... outangle each other. Notice that the Volley's form can change quickly. Sometimes players will circle each other, trying to hit each other's unarmed sides. If there is an obstacle, like a large hat, the Volley will work its way around it, causing it to be "deformed". 2.5 The Rule of Lag (4th Rule) This rule is set aside from the main 3 because it is not like the others. Rule of Lag: An increase in lag decreases the legitimacy of all other rules. Why? It's because of "images". Here's all you'll need to know about your images. It is a copy of you (It technically IS you, but gameplay-wise it doesn't seem like it) Created by lag Does not move Is exactly where you were at some point in the past (usually a second or two ago) Holds tools in just the way you were If it is holding a sword, it does damage as you would if you were there(i.e. if it has a lunging sword, it does lunging damage) When it takes damage, you take damage More lag = More images spanning further back in time 2.6 The Rule of Land Maintenance (5th rule) This rule is set aside from the main 3 because it is not like the others. I tried to make this as simple as I could. Just read it carefully. Rule of Land Maintenance: Do not have an insufficient amount of land to fall back on after lunging. When you don't have enough land, doubling clicking even once will show a hittable opening after the lunge ends. Here's what usually happens: Opponent backs you up into a corner. You lunge at your opponent, trying to force a tie. Your opponent moves back, avoiding the attack. During your opening, your opponent is able to hit you for free. Here's another common occurrence: Opponent backs you up into a corner. You lunge at your opponent, but back up to cover up your opening. You stop at the edge, because falling off means you'll lose. Your lunge expires while you're on the edge. Opponent is able to hit you for free. In more professional fights, there is a fight called the land battle. The land battle is simply taking land from the other player. Keep in mind that taking land doesn't actually do anything until a player has RAN OUT OF LAND FOR FALLING BACK ON. A certain amount of land is always being exchanged by players, because they are moving back and forth. This land is called the "shared land". If you move passed the shared land, then you will be breaking the 2nd rule. (This is because shared land is determined by how long the lunge lasts) (Note: The shared land is NOT the full distance you can walk while lunging. It is some distance shorter than that.) However, if a player does not travel the full extent of the shared land without crossing it, then they expose a "land opening", which allows the other player to take some land. At this point, the shared land shifts towards the player who lost land, which in turn pushes that player to the edge of the new shared land. Like I said before, this doesn't matter unless you run out. So feel free to give up your land if need be, as long as it doesn't break the 5th rule. 2.7 The 3 Battles Up to now, perhaps you thought that swordfighting was just one fight. Well, it's actually 3 at once. Health The first, and most important battle is the Health Battle. In the health battle, you try to lower your opponent's health to 0. Mental The second battle is the mental battle. In the mental battle, you attempt to trick/confuse/wear-out your opponent so that they will break a rule(1, 2, or 3). The mental battle is interwoven into the health battle, because you have the opportunity to deal out free damage when your opponent breaks a rule. Land The third battle is the land battle. Players attempt to take enough land to force the other player into an opening(getting them to break rule 5). Taking land is possible when a player backs up further than they pushed the other player away. This was explained in lesson 2.6. Chapter 3: Styles 3.1 What is a style? A style is a strategy that can be explained to and then replicated by other people. Style Info Here are some things to know about styles. Usually contains 1-3 attacks. Can contain movement patterns. Does not matter how specific it is, so long as others are able to use it correctly. You want to use a style(s) because it is the methodical way to improve. Say you have no repeatable strategy, and you keep losing. How are you supposed to improve upon that? Now, say you have a repeatable strategy, now you can pinpoint and correct exactly what was done wrong (because you knew exactly what you were doing to begin with). However, a good attack is not everything. You have to learn to control it, to understand it, and to have it become second nature to you. Style Categories As a side note, styles are divided into 1 of these 6 categories (This isn't really that important) Defense: Stubborn, responsive to opponent Illusion: Deceive, mislead, trick, etc. Evasion: Runs a lot, patient, stalls, long fights, wears out enemy, etc. Speed: Relies on fast sweeps Offense: Able to charge into battle, short fights, hard to control, high damage Control: Manipulating or using something that you usually can't manipulate or use. (Such as lag, the enemy, positioning, landscape) In this chapter you will be provided with the best sword attacks knows to Sounds of Silence. 40+ sword styles were compared against each other multiple times to bring you the few that rise above the rest. The 4 styles chosen for this chapter were chosen because they were the most effective. I understand and know the feeling to want something unique. But unique doesn't win. Is it possible to develop a new, competitive style? Sure. Can most people do it? No. 3.2 Freeform Category: Any Mode: Any This "style" cannot be touched by criticism, because you always see it at or near the top of pro tournaments and it wins many, many fights. Freeform is fighting instinctively, and it is also improvising. Even swordfighters who have designated strategies will mix in some freeform because it's the smart thing to do. Instinct allows you to become less predictable, and make improved decisions on the spot. Freeform almost NEVER does well by itself. Its max effectiveness is seen when it is applied to strategies. It's on this list because it wins lots of games, but it doesn't win them alone. 3.3 Half Moon Category: Defense Mode: Mouselock Assets: Ability to fight in small areas without concequence, comfortable, easy to use, fast, gets around defenses Downfalls: Not entirely reliable, hard to see during attack To use the attack, move your mouse in a counter-clockwise circle quickly while holding A, then hold S before the lunge ends. If you want, before the attack you can move your character in a counter-clockwise circle before using the attack to get a better foothold. (Just 1 rotation before the attack though) It is IMPORTANT that you don't use the attack much! Do not use it constantly. It is best if you walk towards and away from your opponent until you want to use it. Your opponent should not be able to predict when you'll use the attack, or when you'll use the counter-clockwise movement. 3.4 Dragon Nexus Category: Speed Mode: Hybrid Assets: Fast attack, good taunt, solid defense, engaging Downfalls: Complexity (increased chance of human error) Start with Mouselock on, and your right side faced at the opponent. Hold D, then press shift and double click (or double click right before shift if you want) Before your lunge expires, quickly start holding AS and press shift at the same time(Turn to face your enemy). You may want to practice this a bit, because it can take a little time to understand how to strike quickly with it. You want to use it quickly, but you still want to stay mostly defensive. This move has a habit of getting you highly engaged in the fight. Some people like that kind of pressure, some don't. An effective move this engaging hasn't existed for a long time. After the attack, you MAY want to hold S to help get out of the way of anyone who thinks they're clever enough to get around your backside. (In my tests, I typically choose to use S which will drive the fight to an edge/to the wall, which is a good thing since there won't be any space to go around your backside. ) When not attacking, keep mouselock on and face your right side to the opponent. Use A to back up. In my experience, you'll be using A a lot to taunt your enemies. So if you want to know more about why and how this style works... The initial attack is a speed attack that either hits, or becomes baits for the defensive followup. 3.5 Bunza (part 2) Category: Control Mode: Mouselock Assets: Precise, not easy to counter, control flow of game(to a degree) Downfalls: Requires focus and precision, requires awareness This style was inspired by watching Bunza800. He's not respected much, and I don't support his social practices. However, some of his moves are good. Attack 1: Double click + SLOWLY turn right + moving right + moving forwards OR backwards OR neither Attack 2: Double click + SLOWLY turn left + moving left + moving forwards OR backwards OR neither Attack 1 is better for actually attacking, but attack 2 can be good for taunting or getting a better footing. This style is best for outangling. You want to control the angles and footwork of both players, more or less. Chapter 4: Toolbox 4.1 What is the toolbox? The toolbox comprises of techniques that can help you in certain situations, but will not be usable all the time. These techniques fare better in their situations than any sword style will in such a situation. 4.2 Toolbox part 1 Techniques to fight opponents at different elevations than you. Piking Who to use against: Hit opponent above you through the floor How to use: Jump and double click Uppercut Who to use against: Hit opponent above you on a ledge infront of you How to use: Double click, then jump Chop Who to use against: Enemies stuck below/under the ground OR against opponents below you where you can jump at them How to use: Hold spacebar and single click 4 or more times. When you wish to attack: let go of spacebar, and double click when you land. Tower Unstick Who to use against: Players in a "spawn tower" who prevent you from moving. How to use: Rapidly select your sword while rapidly clicking. Fishing Sword Who to use against: People directly below you. Ex. A floor below you. How to use: Get 2 swords. Now, rapidly press both sword hotkeys at about the same time(not exactly the same) while rapidly clicking. Note: Range is not amazing, and reliability goes down the farther away your opponent is from you. Hook Slash Who to use against: Opponents on a ledge above you that you can jump onto. How to use: Jump, and land diagonally down-forwards onto the ledge. As you land, double click. Note: Pros like Linkerconnected and M1lkman love using this move. Just saying. Edge Guarding Who to use against: Opponents who would jump over a wall to get to you. How to use: Do one of these two while right next to the wall, on the other side of your opponent. Method 1: Jump and double click so that they'll jump through your sword as they jump over. Method 2: Break your sword(4.3), then jump faced away from the wall. 4.3 Toolbox part 2 Breaking the Sword Rapidly select your sword while rapidly clicking until the lunge no longer functions. This will increase your sword's damage, but eliminate most of its range. Gatling Slice Who to use against: Opponents who are overly-defensive. How to use: Always hold spacebar when gaining charges Double click to add a charge Your charges do not release while you are jumping, or when your sword is away. While you release charges, double click rapidly. More charges = More time to use the attack Dropped swords keep their charges Sword Missile When to use: When there is a small tunnel that opponents go through. How to use: Unselect your sword. Walk away, but keep the spot where you unequipped it visible. When you reselect it, it will re-appear where you put it away. It does damage during that moment. Damage will not be close to fatal unless you break your sword(4.3). Reverse Psych Who to use against: Opponent who is going to attack your back. Control: Mouselock How to use: Double click and move backwards. I advise that you go back through the opponent's unarmed side. Note: Do not turn. This is risky, but faster than side hitting. Side Hit Who to use against: People who don't know how to swordfight Control: Mouselock How to use: While lunging, walk around your opponents unarmed side while keeping your aim on them. Note: This will generally force you to break rules. Don't use against experienced players. But it does allow for a faster defeat of weaker players. Hybrid Side Hit Who to use against: Weak to average players Control: Hybrid How to use: Start in classic, and hold D while looking at your character from the side. Now, when you get near an enemy, press shift + double click + D + S (optional) This is far more effective than the side hit, and is a considerable option even against experienced players. However, it is still best for shredding through weaker users. Paralyze Who to use against: Weak to average players How to use: Get 2 swords, then break 1 sword(4.3), then try to throw it(backspace) so that your opponent will catch it. Then immediately use the second sword to attack them. Seahorse When to use: When lag or throttle become a problem. How to use: Hold D + press shift rapidly + double click rapidly + hold right click + aim yourself with the mouse. 4.4 Toolbox part 3 Sound annoyance When to use: Your friend is brb or afk and you want him/her to return to the game. How to use: Go right next to them, point away from them, then rapidly select your sword. Spawnchase When to use: An opponent spawned at about the same time as you on the same spawn. How to use: If they are on the top, allow them to step off the spawn, then stab their back. If they are on the bottom, using mouselock, walk off behind them and then stab their back. Note: You will often need to chase them for a short distance. Sword Jump What it does: Jump a higher distance(works better with smaller hats) How to use: Jump, and double click at a certain time near the top of your jump(you can figure it out). Flying Sword What it does: Fly up and down infinitely How to use: To use the flying sword, get two swords, press the keys for those swords at the same time until one falls out of your hands. Now, you have to double click just before the sword vanishes. When you have it, select your remaining sword to go down, and unselect to go up. Notes: Only certain hat weights are able to use this. Try wearing 2 smaller hats, or 1 medium hat, and it should work. Underbird How to use: Get Flying Sword on, then go beneath a thin brick, then drop your hats with =. Chapter 5: Competitive 5.1 What is competitive swordfighting? This chapter will explain how to swordfight against the best of players. Sadly, the mouselock update back in March of 2013 has vastly disrupted the pro SFing world. It's a bit messy now, but I will do my best to guide you through it. 5.2 Pro classic fighting As mentioned in chapter 1, classic is horrible now. Before the mouselock update, it was amazing in the right hands. Many of the former top overall players love classic too much to let go of it. So, to fight them, you will need to use classic yourself (or they just won't fight you) This kind of pro is easy to find. These groups should have some classic pros in them. http://www.roblox.com/My/Groups.aspx?gid=707751 http://www.roblox.com/Sword-training-baseplate-place?id=1617551 If those groups are inactive, or if you can't find anyone, these are people whom I believe to be pro fighters. Whether they are good at Mouselock or not is unknown. Linkerconnected, Bust3r590, Cryptonix, idontlose, m1lkman, ColtandNuggets1, DrKickFlip, Ipwnsome, lightwolf69, MrsRocker, immithebest, Maileh, GT37, thomisstoer, AronsurvivorIrock, SICCO, Anikin51, mephiles4, icyfelix, fattymcfarfart, xbutterflies, MaxusHelios3, GroteZiel, Bunza800, MeatMeat, Knowingmike555 So far in the book, we've mentioned almost nothing of how to fight classic vs. classic! To conserve space, I'm not going to explain any of it. However, there is hope yet. You can find lots of pro classic footage on Youtube. I think there's footage of linkerconnected, Cryptonix, and MrsRocker. From there you should be able to find more useful footage. 5.3 How a Duel works Pros like to do what are called "duels". This is what you should know about duels. - A player wins when they've gotten X amount of wins (established beforehand). - Ties add 0 wins to both sides. - One person asks the other to duel, and then if it is accepted, then the amount of wins to win the duel is established. - Fight begins when one player announces its start. - Players can call time-outs. (Sometimes these can start arguements or disagreements as to what counted) - When a player reaches the established score, then they win the duel, and it is over. 5.4 Dueling Tactics: The Health Battle In the health battle, you attempt to keep your health above 0, and to decrease your opponent's health to 0. Healing: Run away while you are injured, and your health will slowly recover. However, if there is a referee, they will typically disqualify you for doing this. You can trick them by "Pseudo-fighting" or pretending to fight while healing. To psuedo-fight, volley normally, but back off from any risk of damage to you. Tie: You should already know how to do this. This evens out the health of both players, because ties do not count for anything. It's usually safer to heal, but sometimes you may need to go for a tie. Arming: This is when a small amount of damage is done to both players. Use this when your opponent's health is much lower than yours. You do this by using precise Jabs, generally aiming for just the opponent's sword arm(3rd rule is very important here). 5.5 Dueling Tactics: The Mental Battle In the mental battle, you attempt to get your opponent into breaking a rule(1-3). It is based on your opponent's expectations and decisions. Dancing A common sight among top players. Your dance is your movement while you are not attacking. You do this to be less predictable. This can help you avoid many losses. Is there a "best" dance? Not really. Just so long as it's unpredictable, it should be fine. Mix-up Don't just spam one attack, expecting it to work. Having experience with using 3 different attacks should be all you'll need. Freeform Mixing in instinct can help make your attacks less stale, and less predictable. Instant-Turning If you use Hybrid, consider this. When you switch from classic to mouselock, you instantly turn to where your screen is pointed at. This can be used for some great surprise attacks. Don't be afraid to mix this with the attacks you know. Quickdraw Not good for hybrid & classic users. Take out your sword only when you are about to lunge. After your lunge ends, put the sword away. This is done to increase evasion, and to show your awesomeness(may annoy opponents, or get them to underestimate you) Fake Quickdraw Not good for hybrid & classic users. Assuming you use quickdraw, you can use this. Take out your sword, but don't attack, then put it away again. This can mess with your opponent if they're used to you attacking when you take the sword out. Dust Devil If you use Hybrid or Classic, consider this. Using classic, spin quickly in a counter-clockwise circle while standing in place. When an opponent draws near, go into an attack. The reasoning behind this technique is that you have your spinning speed built up before you attack, which allows you to start the attack faster. You want to use an attack that your opponent won't expect. You could simply double click while continuing to spin, or go into mouselock for an attack, or use classic to swing, or whatever. Be creative. This mixes well with almost every attack out there. Ghost Blade Double click, then quickly unselect, and quickly reselect your sword. This can help to mess with your opponent's timing. It's not great on its own, but it can be a good add-on. Best used with mouselock. 5.6 Dueling Tactics: The Land Battle In the land battle, you attempt to make your opponent break the 5th rule by taking all of their land. You can only take land safely when your opponent doesn't push you away far enough, then you have to advance and take it. Taking and protecting your land is something you'll have to learn on your own through experience. You can see land being taken in many roblox swordfighting videos. Taking land not only gets you closer to victory(litterally), but it also limits your opponent's options while increasing yours. It's really not a big deal unless there's a pro player involved. Then it becomes almost as important as the other 2 battles. Bonus Content This is a look into my master's primary style. I am currently (June 26th, 2013) trying to learn this style, but my master's instructions are always more or less vague and cryptic. Nonetheless, as a special treat, I will let you see this. Read your Opponent Category: Defense Mode: Mouselock ???????? wrote at 6/21/2013 2:26:03 PM: The counter-attack would be a hit on the weak side of the opponent or the exposed side. This is where the forseeing part comes because then you can counter with the correct move. And for patterns, you have to improvise and create one on the spot that's necessary for the opponent's attack On 6/21/2013 at 2:08 PM, ernakou wrote: Let's say you can anticipate your opponent, then what? What do you use to counter certain movement patterns? Or, how do you determine what the correct response is? On 6/21/2013 at 11:59 AM, ???????? wrote: 1. It was a originally suited for 1st person moonwalking but mouselock is ok. 2. All the rules of swordfighting that you created are applied to the technique 3. It uses anticipation 4. It also uses your knowledge of the future or forseing the opponents attack 5. And questions? On 6/21/2013 at 10:39 AM, ernakou wrote: Could you send me instructions on how to read your opponent? Please explain in detail